Rage tree

[bklynfinest]

After many tweaks/games still haven't decided between:

 

Enraged Slash vs. Defensive Roll

 

Payback vs. Malice

 

Strangulate: does this even work in PvP?

 

Thoughts?

 

Also, smash radius is broken (think my last post didnt get published).....

[EasymodeX]

My current Rage spec:

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#100bZdMMZGrRrzrRkGo.1

 

Essentially, I like Defensive Roll. I've sacrificed VS from "common spamming" -- no Enraged Slash. I still leave it functional with the 15% crit for Berserk-mode spamming when I really need it.

 

Had to sacrifice Undying to pick up Payback. Also, I shaved the second point off of the run speed bonus on Obliterate. Don't need it. Also, Strangulate ... don't need it. Choke still gets interrupted from interrupts. The pushback is so irrelevant. I rarely care about getting the full channel off anyways. I just want to use it to interrupt and 2-3 stacks of smash steroid.

 

Edit:

 

Oh right, Malice I find important for Crush and Scream, which are rather significant.

 

The AOE radius on smash is working exactly as intended, although I think they need to add a stretch factor in its hit check, the same way they have for single target attacks. The small AOE combined with the poor server sync is annoying.

Edited January 27, 2012 by EasymodeX

[ThisGuyThat]

Smash radius is broken by latency, just like many other things (knockback, animations, positionals, etc). In PvE it works quite well.

 

Enraged Slash vs Defensive forms is personal preference. Between the two enraged slash realistically makes more sense (because in most fights you'll only really drop from single-target abilities), but enraged slash needs all 3 points to be reliably useful (pointless if you can't count on it), and 3 points for a return only on a vicious slash (free during Berserk) and vicious throw (it should be your finisher anyways) isn't necessarily the best. Great for the other trees though.

 

Anyways, payback is only good if you're trying to hoard medals: 10% every 2 minutes is insignifcant compared to a crit on a force scream/obliterate.

 

Strangulate absolutely works and is pretty useful. In fact, it's alsmot requisite for a 1v2, as otherwise only force crush will get you the stacks needed to make smash worthwhile.

 

 

EDIT: It's amazing that Easymode and I disagree on absolutely everything. Really, really improbable (especially because we're on the same server, iirc) Anyways, I'm tired of arguing on these boards because of the people on them, so just go with Easymode's build.

Edited January 27, 2012 by ThisGuyThat

[EasymodeX]

One comment: Payback is not about 10% every 2 minutes in terms of hp per second. It's about having an additional medpac that hits exactly during the last cc chain where the enemy thought they were going for a finishing blow, and it can crit.

[bklynfinest]

Easymode, agree with your point on strangulate. My Chokes always get interrupted and lately I've been hitting Smash around 3 stacks because of the latency issue I'm experiencing when doing it at 4.

 

 

I'm honestly not using scream, at all. When do you guys typically use it? Whenever the Smash back to back chains are on CD? Or for range? If not for range, what's the max crit you've seen on it w/ Malice to make it more worthwhile than VS? I also use Vthrow as a finisher, a lot, so kind of reluctant to give it up but may have to because I do agree that 3pts for 1 rage refund is kind of a lot, and you need 3 rage to be able to use it anyways.

[ThisGuyThat]

Easymode, agree with your point on strangulate. My Chokes always get interrupted and lately I've been hitting Smash around 3 stacks because of the latency issue I'm experiencing when doing it at 4.

 

 

I'm honestly not using scream, at all. When do you guys typically use it? Whenever the Smash back to back chains are on CD? Or for range? If not for range, what's the max crit you've seen on it w/ Malice to make it more worthwhile than VS? I also use Vthrow as a finisher, a lot, so kind of reluctant to give it up but may have to because I do agree that 3pts for 1 rage refund is kind of a lot, and you need 3 rage to be able to use it anyways.

 

Well, vicious throw and force scream are incredibly strong in the rage tree because of +30% crit damage and 20% armor penetration. The reason you take malice is that, though still strong without a crit (1.5K on force scream without any trinketing/adrenals), with a crit you should be hitting for about 50-75% of your fully buffed up smashes. If you're using an adrenal and land a smash for 5K, you're going to want to follow up with a scream every time, just on the potential for a 3.5+k crit (though it depends heavily on armor mitigation and there's no guarantee of a crit. The highest value I've ever gotten was 4.5k with adrenal on a poorly geared sorc).

 

 

Always use vicious throw. I don't know how else to say it. By damage/rage cost, it's the most efficient ability, outside of a pumped up smash (I've critted for over 5k, though it's pointless because they'll never have that much left anyways, unless they get healed between your cast and the throw landing).

 

EDIT: I'd like to dismiss the notion that Rage is just 2 pumped up smahes then a long cooldown. While that is the sort of core to the build, the rage tree gives bonuses that make its damage potential between smashes, given lucky crits (which will eventually happen), the highest of the three trees. People dismiss force charge/obliterate/force crush/force choke/deadly throw as being set-ups. The reality is that all of these apply plentiful damage on a crit with the right surge values. Force crush without crits may only hit for around 2k, but with crits on every tick can do about 4k, and while that is improbable it also applies a huge slow: it's an incredible ability. Obliterate isn't just a smash set-up, it can hit for well over 2k on a crit, which is 1/8 of the health of a well-geared non-tank.

Edited January 27, 2012 by ThisGuyThat

[bklynfinest]

Thanks, understand re: tree synergies with dark resonance/malice -- my question is more of when do you typically weave in Scream in your rotation. Just seems if you are doing the charge-crush-battering-smash-obliterate-choke-smash chain there’s not enough rage to include Scream between the 1st smash and obliterate. Unless I’m missing something (which is probably the case). Or are you following up with Scream as a burst after the 1st smash before vicious throw when you know the latter 2 are likely to lead to a kill?

 

Also agree with all your points on the edit, especially the crush/obliterate crits

 

Thanks again for the quick replies

[Caliban_Thule]

The 10 fury off of a predation doesnt really make much sense to me, considering you are dropping a point from interceptor...

 

I havent played rage in a while, but id use a build more like this:

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#100bZhMMZGrRdzbMdGR.1

 

Maybe subbing out stagger for strangulate. Id prefer more passive defense, and I dont much care if they interrupt my ravage. Half the time they are knocking me back during it anyway, not using an interrupt.